Browsing by Author "Raja, K"
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Item Demographic & clinical profile of HIV infected children accessing care at Tambaram, Chennai, India.(2009-01-17) Rajasekaran, S; Jeyaseelan, L; Raja, K; Ravichandran, NBACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is severely affecting the poorly educated and economically disadvantaged in Indian society. When children start developing clinical manifestations, needing treatment, they have to travel long distances for accessing care and support at tertiary institutions. This places an extra burden on patients, who are already struggling to cope with their illness. Sufficient data are needed for the government to evolve appropriate policy for providing care to the children affected with HIV. We undertook this study to present the socio-demographic characteristics, signs and symptoms, clinical profile, distance travelled and follow up pattern of HIV positive children who accessed care for the first time in a referral hospital at Chennai, India. METHODS: Electronic medical records from patients diagnosed with HIV between 2002 and 2004 at the Government Hospital for Thoracic Medicine (GHTM) in Tambaram (Chennai) in India were analyzed to understand care-seeking behaviours. Demographic variables such as age, sex, education and occupation, data on clinical manifestations were examined together with geographic information. RESULTS: At GHTM 1,768 new paediatric patients accessed care from 2002 to 2004. Children aged less than 5 yr were 49.9 per cent; 1115 children had (63%) tuberculosis. Significantly, 14.9 and 20.6 per cent children had extra-pulmonary TB and disseminated TB respectively. Lower respiratory infection (15.8%), Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (15.20%), oral/oesophageal candidiasis (13.5%), wasting (6.1%) and diarrhoeal disorders (3.5%) were the common clinical manifestations. In all 47 per cent children traveled between 200-400 km from home and 14 per cent travelled over 400 km. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION: Our findings showed that tuberculosis should be regarded as the indicator disease for HIV infection in children, especially when they have clinical manifestations of progressive, non pulmonary and disseminated disease. The primary and secondary health care centres should have the trained capacity to diagnose and treat HIV disease and opportunistic infections so as the children to have much needed care and support nearer to their residence.Item Infective endocarditis due to Streptococci and Enterococci: A 3-year retrospective study(Indian Association of Pathologists and Microbiologists, 2018-12) Raja, K; Antony, M; Harikrishnan, SIntroduction: Infective endocarditis (IE) is an infection of the heart valves with an aggregation of bacteria in a fibrin plaque called vegetation. Aims and Objectives: This is a retrospective study of all infective endocarditis cases due to alpha haemolytic streptococci and enterococci. Methods: All cases of infective endocarditis cases due to alpha haemolytic streptococci and enterococci in a period of three years from 1st January 2010 to 31st December 2012 were included. Isolation of the same organism from more than one set of blood cultures was taken as a confirmed case of infective endocarditis. Clinical and serological parameters were recorded using a proforma. Results: Native valve endocarditis was more common with only five prosthetic valves being involved. Out of 89 clinically suspected cases of IE in the three years from Jan 2010 to Dec 2012, for which blood was sent for culture, 63(70.78%) samples were positive by culture. Of these, 42/63(66.66%) were due to alpha-lytic Streptococci, enterococci and rare gram positive cocci. The rare ones included Enterococcus gallinarum, abiotropha defective, Vagococcus fluvialis and Nutritionally Variant Streptococci(NVS). High level Aminoglycoside resistance(HLAR) was also encountered. The varied and important features of these isolates are discussed. Complications and treatment are described. Conclusion: From a clinical microbiology point of view, the major challenge faced by the microbiologist in diagnosis of IE is proper aseptic collection of sample before starting antibiotics with a need for multiple samples to detect and also to prove the causative organism. Sensitivity reporting can be a difficult task in the context of NVS, HLAR and gram positives that are slow growing. Congestive failure and embolisation occurs even when the antibiotic treatment is successful.When patients go in for complications, it is very rarely due to wrong antibiotics.Item Multiple recurrences of tuberculosis in an HIV infected individual.(2004-06-14) Swaminathan, S; Rajasekaran, S; Shibichakravarthy, K; Amarendran, V A; Raja, K; Hari, Lalitha; Narayanan, SujathaItem Post-HAART tuberculosis in adult patients with HIV in India; Incidence, Clinical and Immunological profile.(2009-04) Rajasekaran, S; Raja, K; Jeyaseelan, L; Vijila, S; Priya, Krithiga; Mohan, Kuralmozhi; Parvez, Anwar; Mahilmaran, A; Chandrasekar, CBacground: Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) was introduced in National AIDS Control Programme in 2004 to reduce the morbidity and mortality among those affected with HIV/AIDS. Tuberculosis, being an important coinfection, its emergence / occurrence in post-HAART period has potential implications. Objective:: Primary objectives were to study the incidence of post- HAART tuberculosis in HIV patients and to identify the possible risk factors. It was also intended to understand the clinical and immunological profile of this important condition. Methodology: Eligible adults and adolescents with HIV disease enrolled on HAART at Government Hospital of Thoracic Medicine, Tambaram Sanatorium, Chennai, from April, 2004 to March, 2007, formed the study population. They were monitored and screened for the occurrence of tuberculosis after commencing HAART. Clinical details and immunological profile of these patients were analysed. Results: Two hundred and sixty-two patients (5.1%) of 5099 patients followed-up for one to four years were found to have Post HAART TB with 100-person year risk of 2.83. Post HAART TB occurred predominantly in men (67.6%) and in 31- 44 years age group (69.8%) with 100-person year risk being 3.26 and 2.83 respectively. Pulmonary, Extra-pulmonary and disseminated tuberculosis were found to occur in the frequencies of 78%, 16% and 6% respectively. A total of 144 patients (54.9%) developed tuberculosis within six months and this number increased to 202 (77%) by 12 months. 230 patients (87.7%) had base level CD4 cell count < 200 / mm3. Conclusion: Tuberculosis was found to occur pre-dominantly in adult male patients with HIV during the first year after the initiation of HAART. Significantly, occurrence of Post HAART TB remained almost the same (5%) among patients treated for TB prior to the initiation of HAART.Item Role of Combined Approach with Radiotherapy and Metallic Stent in Palliation of Advanced Cases of Carcinoma Esophagus -APilot Study(2002-07) Sehga, Chander Mohan; Sharma, Rakesh Raman; Kapoor, Rakesh; Goel, D R; Patel, F D; Sharma, S C; Dutta, Usha; Raja, K; Singh, KartarCarcinoma esophagus presents with dysphagia and in 60% of patients, the aim of treatment is palliation. ThIs study was done to evaluate the feasibility and role of planned combined approach using radiotherapy with metallic stent in palliation of malignant dysphagia. Ten patients with histologically proven, locoregionally advanced esophageal carcinoma were selected. All patients underwent external radiotherapy followed by brachytherapy. The self-expanding metallic stent was placed under combined endoscopic and fluoroscopic guidance. A predetermined questionnaire to assess dysphagia, pain, reflux symptoms and quality of life was administered before the procedure, and thereafter at monthly intervals until death or last follow-up. 10/10 patients had grade III dysphagia at presentation. 4/10 patients underwent stent placement prior to any radiotherapy (group A), 4/1 0 patients had stent placement after external radiotherapy (group 8) and 2/1 0 had stent after completion of brachytherapy (group C). There was no difficulty in placing the stent despite the post-radiotherapy ulcerations and stricture in all the patients in group 8 and C. 8/8 patients in groups A and 8 had no difficulty in placing esophageal bougie for brachytherapy. The mean follow-up after stent placement was 9 months (4-24 months). There was complete disappearance of dysphagia in 4/4 patients in group A, 2/4 patients in group Band 0/2 patients in group C. The rest of patients had significant improvement in dysphagia score by atJeast two grades. For dysphagia grade. the mean progression free interval was recorded as 5 months for group A, 3 months for group Band 2 months for group C. Combining radiotherapy and metallic stent is a safe, simple and effective means to palliate malignant dysphagia. This raises an issue whether all patients with advanced carcinoma esophagus should preferably be pre planned for stent placement followed by radiotherapy for best results.Item Role of phenotypic testing in determining the mechanism of resistance in Gram-negative bacilli & risk factors for meropenem resistance(Indian Council of Medical Research, 2019-02) Raja, K; Antony, M; Rani, R; Bridget, GItem Zero CD4 count: A case of discordant CD4 response in a patient with well suppressed viral load.(2013-07) Raja, K; Chandrasekar, C; Krishnarajasekhar, O R; Manoharan, GHuman immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive patients continue to have raise in CD4 cell for several years after initiation of anti-retroviral therapy (ART). The discordant response of static or fall in CD4 cells in presence of well-suppressed viral load is an unusual finding. In this communication, we present a case report of an HIV patient in whom the repeated CD4 enumerations consistently showed zero/nil CD4 counts before and after the start of ART in spite of maximum viral suppression.